"Anthony": the backstory

Looking for a break from Gatesgate? If so, I highly recommend this Boston.com feature on the making of Prince's classic "Anthony" ad. It appears at Metro Desk, a new, beefed-up version of Boston.com's now-defunct Local News Updates.

I do have one reservation, though.  The story, by correspondent Billy Baker, suggests that the "Anthony" ad helped pave the way for the destruction of the same old-school North End it celebrated. This theory (which evokes the travel writer's dilemma) is interesting to ponder--but I wonder: even if Italian-American assimilation was destined to destroy the old North End, didn't the Big Dig do more to hasten the process than "Anthony" ever could have?